Just a year ago, Elias Svensson was battling Thomas Eek Murstad for his first career title in the RallyX Championship. Twelve months later, the Swedish driver finds himself in a completely different setting, taking on a far more ambitious challenge: making his mark in the Open 4WD category behind the wheel of an FC2.

The leap into the sport’s “premier class” is anything but trivial. For Svensson, the 2025 season has been first and foremost an accelerated learning experience in an ultra-competitive environment. While he made an impressive start with a podium finish in Montalegre back in March, the rest of the campaign has underscored just how tough the challenge really is.

“This year, my main goal was to learn and improve with the car. I wasn’t focused on results, even though, as a competitor, you always want to win. I had a few issues with setups and some technical problems, but overall, I’m happy with the season.”

Dominant in CrossCar, Svensson naturally had to lower his expectations, even if he hasn’t given up on returning to his usual winning ways.

“Switching from CrossCar, where I was always at the front, to this category was mentally very tough. Of course, it hurts a little not to be fighting for wins every race. At the start of the year, I thought I’d only do three rounds… and here I am, still going for the penultimate one. That alone feels like a victory for me. But I’m a competitor at heart: I’m here to learn, yes, but also to win.”

One big step remains: fully mastering the FC2.

“I’ve never had a proper test day with the car, so all my learning has been done in race conditions. I’m sure that with proper testing sessions, I could progress much faster and feel more comfortable. That said, I can feel I’m making progress, even if I’m not completely satisfied. You always want more.”

Two rounds remain before the curtain falls on Svensson’s first Open 4WD season, with Nysum and Estering on the calendar. He intends to approach them without pressure.

“The last two races will take place on incredible tracks, with big crowds. I’m not making any big plans: I’ll take things as they come, just as I’ve done all season. Of course, I’ll try to be as fast as possible, and if I can finish on the podium, that would be the perfect way to wrap things up.”